-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- After an extensive , month-long buildup , Yahoo has finally unveiled its new logo .

Overall the look is cleaner and thinner , and it is a new sans-serif typeface created by Yahoo . The logo is still purple , though a shade darker , and features all the usual uppercase letters in the same order finished off by the signature exclamation point , which dances around in some versions .

Yahoo posted two flavors of the new look to its Tumblr at midnight on Thursday . One is white text on a purple background , the other purple text on white background . Both have a slight beveled effect , though it 's more noticeable on the purple text . It has already replaced the logo that appears on the top left corner of Yahoo.com .

`` We knew we wanted a logo that reflected Yahoo - whimsical , yet sophisticated . Modern and fresh , with a nod to our history . Having a human touch , personal . Proud. , '' wrote CEO Marissa Mayer in a blog post on Tumblr , which Yahoo bought earlier this year .

`` We did n't want to have any straight lines in the logo . Straight lines do n't exist in the human form and are extremely rare in nature , so the human touch in the logo is that all the lines and forms all have at least a slight curve , '' Mayer added in her post , which goes into exhaustive detail about the thinking behind the logo .

In a recent internal poll of Yahoo employees , 87 % wanted the logo changed , Mayer said .

Yahoo managed to turn a simple rebranding into an impressive marketing push by dragging it out for 30 days . For the past month , the company has rotated out the logo on its homepage daily with one of the runnersup . Some of the 29 logos were a lot more unusual than the final choice , perhaps to make fans appreciate the reserved simplicity of the final look .

`` Sharing these logo variations prepares people for change , so there 's less risk of what happened to Gap , '' said David Airey , a graphic designer specializing in brand identity .

When Gap tried changing its logo in 2010 , there was an outcry among Gap loyalists and logo enthusiasts . The clothing company eventually caved and switched back to its old logo .

Yahoo 's logo redesign was headed up by an in-house branding group and product designers , according to AdAge . It is likely just one of the more noticeable elements of a larger rebranding effort for the struggling company , which Mayer has re-energized since becoming CEO last year .

`` The logo is only part of a brand new branding and image campaign . It signals to consumers , investors and employees that change is coming , '' said Columbia business school professor Bernd Schmitt .

The new logo is probably not different enough to raise much ire -LRB- or eyebrows -RRB- among Yahoo users , although some Internet critics were unimpressed .

On Twitter , the reaction to the logo was less than enthusiastic . `` The new Yahoo logo looks like it got run through Alien Skin Eye Candy on Photoshop 4.0 . , '' said Justin Williams .

`` A bad logo is all it took for Yahoo! to make everyone talk about it , '' tweeted Preshit Deorukhkar , editor of design publication Beautiful Pixels .

Yahoo has n't updated its logo since 2009 , and it has been mostly the same since 1995 . The move to change it now is logical given its Mayer 's recent attempts to breathe new life into the brand .

`` More often than not , when a company 's identity looks a little tired -LRB- or more likely when new leadership wants to put their own stamp on things -RRB- , what 's already in place wo n't need to be thrown out . It 'll just need to be freshened up , '' said Airey .

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After 30 days of teasers , Yahoo has unveiled its new logo

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The font is different but much of the logo , including exclamation point , are the same

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The logo is part of a larger rebranding effort by the company